GIVEAWAY! Challenge PIF - In The Footsteps Of Legends

[Wishoot]

Shaved with a Feather today. Nothing new to me. I've been a Feather fan for a few years now.

I changed things up a bit and made a superlather using some unscented AOS cream and some Old Spice soap. Fatboy set at 7.

Feathers have always given me a comfortable, reliable shave. 3 passes and some light touch up do the trick nicely. I usually get 3 shaves from a blade.

HOWEVER, I was quite impressed with my first KAI blade and I'm looking forward to the second.

 

[fast shaver]

Kai Blade #2 Shave #15
Tools : DOC Razor & VDH Luxury Soap
Got a fair shave this A.M. with lots of touchup.
The Kai blade has had it on my stubble so in the bin it goes.
I want to give a Big Thank You to our Sponsors: @Grundi @AnimalCatcher & @Space_Cadet
You guys have brought an added Joy to my shave routine.

 

[HarleyDChevrolet]

Thank you for the generous offer but I am respectfully not in. I have a couple of Myserious Meteor blades left from a prior PIF as well as few Feather blades and have naturally compared the two. My personal experience, and YMMV, is that in a blind test I would be hard pressed to tell them apart however, the KAI blades get the nod because of longevity. The Feather blades start to feel rough after as little as two shaves, never more than three.

 

[Grundi]

KAI Blade #2 - Shave #7

Equipment: Merkur 20C, Legendary KAI (7), PdP 63 Shave Soap

The Shave Results: I skipped a couple of days shaving so the KAI (with 6 shaves already) had its work cut out for it. Pairing the KAI with PdP 63 made for a wonderful, DFS+ shave. The Blade did not pull or drag, but sliced thru the growth without any trouble. This blade has lots of life remaining.

Longevity: some of you have been able to get a mind-blowing number of shaves from these blades!! I'm am very impressed (and a bit envious)!! I'm dropping hints to my lovely darling true love that I need to add a Fatip Slant to my stable of razors.

The Challenge: so far, each Feather Shave#3 has been the best shave, however, KAI has amazing longevity!! Both blades have given me top-shelf shaves. For me, this has been an excellent slugfest between 2 Legendary Blades with well-earned reputations.

 

[Weean]

Feather edge 4 shave 2. Gillette Tech (1976 made in England); Wilkinson Sword bowl soap, Frank Shaving 20mm best badger.

This was a lovely shave, and I'm kicking myself for waiting until the end of the challenge to try out a Tech. It was both smoother and closer than the Souplex I've been using recently. I can see why Feather chose to copy the Tech so closely (allegedly, I've never had the pleasure myself) to pair with their own blades.

Overall however, the Kai remains my favourite between these two heavyweights. It was fun playing along though.

 

[Demolition]

Seventeenth shave with the Mysterous Kai Stainless blade #1

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Yaqi Sagrada Familia Fan-shaped Tuxedo
Soap: RazoRock Black Label

The Kai is still at the top of its game.

My three usual passes were all quick and efficient. The shave quality was excellent (minimal buffing, BBS in the end) and the comfort level remains very high.

The blade faces are starting to look a bit grungy, though. According to Kai (in response to a query by the Refined Shave review site), their blades are uncoated. Therefore, some blotchiness and discolouration should be expected on a blade seeing extended use.

Regardless of the blade's appearance, it should continue to provide many more great shaves.

 

[Mike M]

Kai shave#23

Sorry, no picture tonight

Razor: Fatip Piccolo
Blade: Kai
Soap: TOBS Sandalwood
Brush Yaqi Black Ferrari

Tonight's soap is TOBS Sandalwood one I rarely use, but a favourite of my eldest son. The lather is not really satisfactory (neither is the scent) although I had a TOBS Coconut that was a firm favourite of mine and I swear it produced a better lather. I used the Piccolo after last night's excellent shave.
The first WTG pass was not quite as good as it has been of late so I started to wonder if this was the beginning of the end for the Kai. The second XTG pass was not great either and even left me with a small weeper. The third ATG pass I just wanted to get out of the way and once it was finished I needed a spritz of Witch hazel to calm my face down.
Tomorrow I will give the blade another chance with a different razor and see if it has anything left.

 

[Grundi]

KAI Blade #2 - Shave #8

Equipment: Merkur 20C, Legendary KAI (8), PdP 63 Bergamot & Thyme

The Shave Results: I've entered the "meh, another great shave" stretch with this KAI blade. Pairing it with PdP B&T, the shave was smooth, close, and drama-free!! Ok, maybe the "meh, another great shave" stretch is actually an excellent testimony to the quality and longevity of this blade (rarely do I ever coax 6 very good shaves from a blade, and usually the last shave is waving good-bye in a very distinct, non-great-shave manner).

 

[BigJ]

KAI Blade #2 - Shave #8

Equipment: Merkur 20C, Legendary KAI (8), PdP 63 Bergamot & Thyme

The Shave Results: I've entered the "meh, another great shave" stretch with this KAI blade. Pairing it with PdP B&T, the shave was smooth, close, and drama-free!! Ok, maybe the "meh, another great shave" stretch is actually an excellent testimony to the quality and longevity of this blade (rarely do I ever coax 6 very good shaves from a blade, and usually the last shave is waving good-bye in a very distinct, non-great-shave manner).

’Meh’ is very high quality for you, Sir!!!

 

[Demolition]

Eighteenth shave with the Legendary Feather Hi-Stainless blade #1

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Yaqi Blue Marble 26mm Timber Wolf
Soap: Tabac Shaving Soap (Non-Tallow)

A big drop in quality compared to this blade's previous outing.

After an excellent performance, two days ago, the Feather blade has come back down to earth. The WTG and ATG passes were reasonably good, but the XTG pass was a major disappointment. Some minor roughness has crept back in and my skin became irritated shortly after I began the pass.

At about mid-pass, I realized that another BBS was impossible, so I settled for what I'd classify as CCS+... although, it wasn't actually that close and the comfort was definitely lacking. I'm not sure what to think. It's possible that my great shave on January 1 was the last dying (but brilliant) gasp from this blade. I'll give it another try in two days to make sure.

One thing is clear, though... this Feather lacks the consistency exhibited by the Kai.

 

[Mike M]

Kai shave#24

Razor: Rockwell 6C R5
Blade: Kai
Soap: Proraso Green
Brush: Yaqi Moka-Express 2 Band Badger

Tonight after more than a month on this challenge I have returned to my 3017 soap Proraso Green. I have been on this for 3 months now and I am nearing the end of it (I hope). I just have to get back to 3017ing because I am hoping to purchase some more soaps this month or next. I ditched the Fatip Piccolo in favour of the Rockwell 6C with the R5 plate.
The first WTG pass was better than last night and didn't leave me feeling like I'd lost any skin, always a plus. The second XTG pass was more comfortable than last night and the third ATG pass was a much better experience. The overall finish was great but with a little roughness on my neck. My face was a little tingly at the end, but I wasn't sure if that was due to the soap or the blade so I waited a few minutes and realised it was the soap. So the Kai lives to fight another day.

 

[Grundi]

KAI Blade #2 - Shave #9

Equipment: Merkur 20C, Legendary KAI (9), PdP 63 Bergamot & Thyme

The Shave Results: Rinse and repeat. KAI shave #9 was the same as shave #8, smooth, close, and drama-free!! Not much else to add, just a great, long-lasting blade.

 

[lancre]

Kai Blade #1, Shaves 1-12

Life has kept me busy, so just a brief catch-up.

I've tried the Kai with a Winning, an Ikon X3 slant, a Slim on 6, and an ATT Windsor Pro with plates SB90, CM1, and R2.

Soaps have been B&M 42, Valobra, Stirling Frankincense & Myrrh

Brushes have been RV Finest Shavemac, EverReady 300PBT, Semogue 730HD and 830, Maggard SHD and synthetic, and Omega 10049.

After 3 full passes and a little touch-up, the shaves have all been either BBS or right on the border between BBS and DFS.

The Kai seems to favor milder razors for me. More aggressive razors haven't given me closer shaves, jus less comfort (and 1 weeper) during the shave.

 

[Demolition]

Eighteenth shave with the Mysterous Kai Stainless blade #1

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Fine Accoutrements Stout 24mm Angel Hair
Soap: RazoRock Green Label

The Kai continues to impress.

Like clockwork, I received another quick, efficient, and trouble-free performance from the Kai. It was very smooth and comfortable on all passes. With some minor buffing, I finished with an easy BBS. There was no post-shave irritation, as usual.

Not much else to say, other than this blade's performance has been rock-steady.

 

[Mike M]

Kai shave#25

Tonight I am using the same gear as last night, it was a success then and I hope it will work again tonight.
I'm just going to say that tonight was a carbon copy of last night, a good shave on all passes with just a little roughness on my neck the Kai is just not getting tired.
One piece of good news I finally broke through the bottom of the Proraso Green

 

[Grundi]

KAI Blade #2 - Shave #10

Equipment: Merkur 20C, Legendary KAI (10), VdH Deluxe Shave Soap

The Shave Results: Today's KAI shave was just like yesterday's shave, a DFS shave, smooth, close, and drama-free!! However, this being shave #10 and the blade still having shaves remaining, I'm loving reaching 10 shaves and not having to bin the blade. I'm trying a shave soap that I used early on in my wet shaving adventure - VdH Deluxe (in the new black box) - that I picked up at the grocery store for just over $2. It lathered easily (I've got soft, city water), above average lather, but the scent was too light, dissipating too quickly; still, for $2 +/-, a great deal.

 

[Demolition]

Nineteenth shave with the Legendary Feather Hi-Stainless blade #1

Razor: Fatip Lo Storto Originale (aka FOCS)
Brush: Yaqi Purple 24mm Mink
Soap: Tabac Shaving Soap Stick (Tallow)

Only a slight improvement over the previous shave.

So, it looks like the fabulous shave that I enjoyed on New Year's Day was a complete anomaly because the Feather only managed to provide an average shave, today.

The WTG and ATG passes were okay, but the XTG pass was again a disappointment. The minor roughness is still there, but at least there was no irritation. That allowed me to perform a few buffing strokes on the sides of my neck and along the jawline to get to a solid CCS.

Since things haven't gotten worse, I'll try this blade at least one more time, just to get to 20 uses. Then, it's likely curtains for the Feather!

On a more positive note, the Yaqi Purple Mink/Tabac (Tallow) pairing was superb. It took no effort to make a dense, protective lather with superior slickness. Two thumbs up for the lather!

 

[Mike M]

Kai shave#26

Razor: Rockwell 6C R5
Blade: Kai
Soap: Proraso Green
Brush: Yaqi Moka-Express 2 Band Badger

Same setup as yesterday, it's working well for me with my favourite razor and has the added advantage of 3017ing my Proraso Green soap.
The first WTG pass was good right up until I got a little overenthusiastic and left myself with a small weeper. The 6C is an amazingly forgiving razor and scrapes that would, in a lesser razor, remove a large area of facial skin seem to leave a small weeper or nothing at all. That said the second XTG pass and third ATG pass were without any further drama and I even managed a clean-up pass on my neck to remove that irritating roughness for an altogether excellent shave.
I only hope I finish this blade before the next challenge.

 

[slimshavy]

Kai shave#26
View attachment 1389406

Razor: Rockwell 6C R5
Blade: Kai
Soap: Proraso Green
Brush: Yaqi Moka-Express 2 Band Badger

Same setup as yesterday, it's working well for me with my favourite razor and has the added advantage of 3017ing my Proraso Green soap.
The first WTG pass was good right up until I got a little overenthusiastic and left myself with a small weeper. The 6C is an amazingly forgiving razor and scrapes that would, in a lesser razor, remove a large area of facial skin seem to leave a small weeper or nothing at all. That said the second XTG pass and third ATG pass were without any further drama and I even managed a clean-up pass on my neck to remove that irritating roughness for an altogether excellent shave.
I only hope I finish this blade before the next challenge.

What is 3017?

 

[Yuritau]

Eighteenth shave, fifth Feather (1)
RazoRock Game Changer .68 w/bamboo handle, Wee Scot, Tabac



It finally arrived, so I can finally continue the challenge. The Game Changer looks even better than I thought it would, I want expecting the polish to be so good. The fit is even more impressive, there might be a thousandth of an inch of wiggle in the head just before tightening, but only if I try for it.

I wanted a nice, fully machined stainless steel razor that was also quite mild, as neither of my two current machined razors (the Traderes) are particularly mild. After one shave with this razor I'm confident I picked the right one! The low profile of the head makes it quite an agile razor, and it holds the blade fairly close to the edge, which I always prefer for the way it calms the blade.

With a three pass and touch ups shave, the Feather felt smooth as silk the whole way. Guided by a very light hand, it delivered a very close shave, with only the odd whisker to be felt on the face. I'm excited to how it holds up on the next shave!